Category Archives: Sugar

[This article discusses health improvements based, at least in part, on a ketogenic diet. Dr. Loren Cordain and many others, including The Paleo Diet editorial review board, don’t recommend or endorse long-term ketogenic dieting for the general public. They do acknowledge that it can be effective if used short-term and as a therapeutic measure for Alzheimer’s and other diseases.] Peter Dredge’s book Beating Alzheimer’s, the enemy at the gate: turning despair into hope and action [1], recounts his wife Ann’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis and their intense struggle with both the disease and “conventional” medical treatment. They refused to accept what…

When it comes to brain fuel – glucose is king.[1] Glucose is the brain’s primary source of fuel and it is quite narrowly regulated inside our body as a result. This is referred to as glucose homeostasis.[2] There are two key players in this process – insulin and glucagon.[3] These two hormones are kept in balance so that our blood sugar remains stable. When we eat, the ratio of insulin to glucagon is high – which helps to facilitate many postprandial (after meal) processes in the body.[4] The standard American diet is very high in glucose – meaning it’s high…

When it comes to humans, we’re all just victims of our own biochemistry. Our brains are controlled and ruled by chemicals – from what we eat; to how and when we sleep; even to who we choose as a life partner.[1] Biochemistry – or ‘biological chemistry’ – is concerned with all of the biochemical reactions which take place within our bodies and brains.[2] [3] This means that the simple act of eating a meal is actually composed of thousands of tiny reactions and interactions – on a biochemical level, at least.[4] [5] Biochemistry is important because it helps us better…

Ketogenic diets are one of the hottest trends in wellness right now. This past year, I even wrote a keto cookbook. In fact, they have become so popular, that many variations of low carb diets are currently spearheading their way into the mainstream. While any focus on a healthier way of eating should be viewed as a positive, rather than a negative – the question remains: are carbohydrates really so bad? There is, of course – a complex scientific answer to this question. First, we must look at the research. What does it say, what does it not say, and…

Many people are skeptical whenever change is introduced. And the Paleo Diet, considered a disruptive diet by some, is no exemption. Many awful things have been said about this diet and it’s easy to get confused with what’s true and what’s not. Contrary to these claims, The Paleo Diet has changed the lives of many people who were brave enough to try it out and discipline themselves to find the many great benefits of eating “caveman-style.” Let’s debunk some of the common myths about The Paleo Diet. Who knows? One of the myths on this list may just be the…

While there was likely never a time when your doctor would have told you to consume more sugar, a growing body of research is demonstrating just how pervasive the negative health effects of overconsuming simple carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose truly are [1-4]. In fact, sounding like they took a page from a Tom Clancy novel, a series of recent peer-reviewed articles showed that for decades, the sugar industry was aware of the impact of sugar on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and worked to hide it; pointing the finger at fat consumption instead [5, 6]. A misdirection that…

According to Max Planck, the legendary, Nobel Prize winning physicist, “a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”[1] Could Planck’s Principal apply to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research and treatment? This would be remarkable, but certainly not unprecedented. Within the realms of nutrition and physiology, we’ve seen many instances of Planck’s Principal over the years. For example, despite evidence to the contrary, sugar was once thought to be benign. Similarly, saturated fat and dietary…

Sugar is likely the most over consumed substance in the modern world 1 On top of our endless addiction to soda (sugar water essentially) – sugar is surreptitiously added to nearly every processed food.2 As a result, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) now reports that the average American ingests 150-170 pounds of sugar per year.3 This overconsumption of sugar may very well be killing us. As I’ve previously written, sugar is the precursor and the ‘canary in the coalmine’ – to numerous diseases and unhealthy conditions. Diabetes? Check.4 Obesity? Check.5 Even Alzheimer’s has been directly linked to too…

While the title of this article may at first seem implausible (and somewhat scary), a new scientific study seems to show that an inborn preference for junk food is not only possible – it may be affecting more of us than ever could have possibly been imagined. For the first time in history, researchers for Obesity Society have identified two genetic variants, which help to change how the brain responds to high-calorie foods.1 2 While this is potentially terrible news for those of us who struggle to resist highly processed and manufactured foods – it also means there is possibly…

If you’ve popped into your local Starbucks lately, you’ve already seen it. The Christmas red cups are here! As someone who is admittedly an absolute Christmas fanatic, I must say that the hint of the season’s festivities in the air brings a smile to my face and that happy, and coaxes the warm holiday aura. But one thing that doesn’t sit quite right is thinking about the sizeable number of syrupy sweet holiday drinks we’re consuming as a whole, let alone the sheer size of each individual drink has gone from 12 oz to 16 oz to… a 31 oz!1…

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